Steve recently posted on facebook a message informing about the destruction of the work in a "freak accident", and commented that he was beginning work on a new version. As always, an unfortunate loss. Source: Steve's facebook

Ulpiano Checa was a Spanish painter who excelled in the treatment of historical subjects, as in the present case. This work belonged to the Prado Museum, was on deposit at the University of Valladolid and disappeared in a fire during the Civil War in 1939.

This work won the First Class Medal at the National Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1887, and here you can see the photogravure of a drawing by P. Valor, published in "The Iberian illustration" founded here ...

Max Klinger was a German symbolis sculptor, painter and graphic artist born in 1857. I already published one of his works celebrating his anniversary. These two were lost or destroyed during the Second World War in 1945, during the Allied bombing of Dresden on February 13-14, or fires that spread as a result thereof.

Pompeo Girolamo Batoni was an Italian painter born in 1708, whose style incorporated elements of the French Rococo, Bolognese classicism, and nascent Neoclassicism.

Batoni aimed at overcoming the excesses and frivolities of the Rococo by taking inspiration in classical antiquity and in the work of artists such as Nicolas Poussin, and especially Raphael. As such he was a precursor of Neoclassicism.

In the Allied attacks on Dresden were destroyed or disappeared these two paintings.

Versión a color de una postal de la época / Color version from a postcard of the time.

Fernando Botero Angulo is a figurative artist and sculptor from Medellín, Colombia, born in 1932. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor, depending on the piece. He is considered the most recognized and quoted living artist from Latin America, and his art can be found in highly visible places around the world.

In San Antonio Park in Medellin (Colombia), there was an attack by the guerrillas in 1995. As a result 28 people died and over 200 were injured. The bomb had been placed in a sculpture by the artist, "The Bird," which was destroyed. More info (in Spanish) here.

Instead of remove it, Botero decided to leave it as it was, as a sign of barbarism and "monument to the stupidity and criminality." "I am horrified by what has happened, my sculpture is a small detail, does not matter," said the painter and sculptor in an interview in Bogota station Caracol radio. By some accounts, the guerrillas considered the sculpture a symbol of exploitation, since its construction was financed by businessmen. Also the son of Botero was the defense minister, Fernando Botero Zea, a man with an interesting history.

On July 26, 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, there was an assault to the Chapel of the Saviour of Úbeda (Jaén), converted in a garage. Some of the treasured jewels inside were destroyed, including the 1.3 meter sculpture depicting Saint John the Baptist, modeled by Michelangelo.

"San Giovannino di Ubeda / San Juanito de Ubeda / Little St. John from Ubeda"

The 17 fragments recovered, were sent to Florence in 1994. From old photographs, rescued from archives around the world, it was possible to have a view of the sculpture from almost every angle, allowing volumetric 3D reconstruction of the piece.

This is an open art blog, so you could find images eventually offensive or umconfortable.

If you're an artist and find here images of your art you want to be removed, just tell me and I'll do it immediately. I try to ask for permission always if artist is alive and there's a way to contact, bot not always is possible and there are things I think worth to be known.

In any case, the copyrights of all the images contained in this blog, except where noted, belong to the artists or the legal owners of such rights, and have been published nonprofit and for the only purpose of make the works known to the general public.

Enjoy "El Hurgador", make any comment you like (respecting artists, other visitors and myself), make suggestions, critics, leave your opinions and make your contributions. Always welcome.